Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Yi Whan-woo

A logo to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and Korea / Embassy of Poland

Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski appears to be the right person to ask about how Poland-Korea relations have developed so intensively since the countries signed a diplomatic treaty on Nov. 1, 1989.

A former university professor, Ostaszewski spoke quickly, as if he were giving a condensed lecture on the development of bilateral ties, from the now-dissolved chaebol Daewoo's investment in a Polish car plant (1995) to the opening of direct flights between Warsaw and Incheon (2016) to more than 40,000 Korean visitors to Poland (2018).

He said he hoped the countries would build on their cooperation in the next 30 years — for example, Korea could invest in Poland's electric vehicle industry, direct flights to Poland could be increased from five times a week to seven, and the Polish Tourism Organization could establish an office in Seoul.

"Everything happened because of changes in Central Europe and the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. And the bilateral relations started in 1989," Ostaszewski said during an interview with The Korea Times at the embassy on the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties.

The interview also took place on the 15th anniversary of Poland joining the European Union and the 20th anniversary of Poland becoming a NATO member.

"We have a whole year to celebrate, with the climax being on Nov. 1," the envoy added, listing the anniversary programs throughout the year.

The latest event was on May 8, when Ostaszewski hosted a reception at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul to mark the anniversary of the Polish Constitution declared on May 3, 1791.

The calendar of events organized by the Embassy of Poland in Korea includes a Polish Film Festival in Seoul (May 7 to 29), 2019 Polish and Korean Cuisine Culture Exchange: Grandmother's Recipes in Seoul (May 13 to 31), a Polish jazz concert in Daegu (May 21), Ostaszewski's lecture on Poland in Seoul (May 21), Summer Festival 2019: "Something Special About Chopin" in Daegu (Aug. 9 to 11), a Polish design exhibition in Seoul (Sept. 1 to Oct. 30), and the Seoul International Music Festival 2019 (Oct. 28 to Nov. 11).

A concert in cooperation with the Seoul Chamber Orchestra is also being planned for November.

One of the past events was a design contest for the anniversary logo, done jointly with the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Paju Typography Institute (PaTI).

Designed by PaTI student Koh Eun, the logo highlights the number 30 by combining the Polish flag's two horizontal stripes of white and red.

It is being used for celebratory events.

Serving his term since September 2017, Ostaszewski was a visiting professor at Seoul National University in 2015 and Kyungpook National University in Daegu from to 2008 to 2012. He was also vice rector at the Warsaw School of Economics from 2012 to 2016.

"I'm very glad I can celebrate the 30th anniversary as an ambassador as I dreamed in my life before," he said.

Strategic partnership

The two countries signed their strategic partnership in October 2013. According to Ostaszewski, they are in the second stage of their partnership and this includes Korean investments of more than $2 billion.

SK Innovation plans to invest 335 million euros ($376 million)to build four production lines for lithium-ion separators and three more for ceramic coated separators in Silesia.

Hyundai Engineering, one of Korea's leading builders, has been selected as a preferred bidder for a 1.5 million euro chemical plant in Police. It will be run by PDH Polska, a subsidiary of Poland's largest chemical group Grupa Azoty.

Ostaszewski said he hoped there would be more economic cooperation, referring to consultations on railways, smart cities and nuclear power plants.

The two countries' state-run railroad operators — Korail and Polish State Railways — signed a memorandum of understanding for increased exchanges in April when Polish State Railways President Krzysztof Maminski visited Korea.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), which has Korail under its wing, discussed ways to bolster exchanges on railroads and smart cities when a ministerial delegation visited Poland in January.

Ostaszewski especially referred to nuclear energy as a "good and profitable" area for cooperation amid both countries' moves to diversify energy sources.

"Here (in Korea), nuclear power plants are closing down because of energy diversification policy. We're looking for diversification as well," he said — but still waiting for a final decision on the governmental level.

The bilateral trading relationship has favored of Korea for years. For instance, Korean exports stood at $3.1 billion in 2017, but imports totaled $628 million during the same time period.

Ostaszewski shrugged off over Poland's trade deficit, saying this was because its production was focused on the EU and the so called Non-Tariff Barriers and protectionist Korean policy.

"There's nothing wrong with a trade deficit — our relations are very good," he said, adding, "But of course, we must drive toward lowering trade deficit."

Tourism has emerged as a key area for cooperation recently, with more than 40,000 Koreans visiting Poland in 2018, up 27 percent from 2017, according to the Polish Tourism Organization.

Such tourists, along with businesspeople, explain why the weekly number of direct flights operated by LOT Polish Airlines should be increased from five to seven, the ambassador said.

LOT data shows an average passenger load factor of 85.5 percent, with businesspeople accounting for 30 percent and tourists accounting for the rest.

"Direct flights seven times a week is very important so you can fly any day of the week, especially businesspeople who don't have time and are in a rush," the ambassador said. "We will be very glad if MOLIT gives us finally a permission for seven flights per week."

The Polish Tourism Organization does not have an office in Korea. Its Tokyo office has expanded its mission to the Korean market since January to better understand Korean travelers. Jointly with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency's Korea office, the organization also conducted market research in February and promoted Poland's popular tourist attractions. These included UNESCO-registered Bialowieza Forest, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Torun and Warsaw Old Town.

Ostaszewski said the food festival, titled "Grandmother's Recipes," would offer a chance to discover similarities between the two countries' cuisines, such as pickled foods and recipes using pork and fish.

The 19-day event began at the Korean Cuisine Culture Center on May 13.

"This is what we have in common, knowing nothing about each other but discovering quite the same thing," the envoy said.

Asked whether North Korea could learn from Poland's transition from communism to capitalism, Ostaszewski said the two countries "are quite different,"adding, "Of course we are always ready to help other countries and share our experience in this matter."

Poland's Constitution in 1791 was the second of its kind in the world after the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and it gave the country legal foundations of a democratic constitutional monarchy, before it was annexed by Nazi Germany and then the Soviet Union.

"Communism was not our system — it was imposed on us as and therefore it was treated as a foreign tool of ruling over our country," he said. "But in North Korea, they invented their own system from communism and you have to bear in mind these differences."